Uchiha Sasuke Plays Cupid
by Mysticmayhem
Summary: Uchiha Sasuke knew nothing about romance. He can't even tell the woman he loves that he loves her and instead keeps pushing her away. So when he gets assigned a mission to matchmake couples of Konoha, chaos immediately ensues and he is the source of it all. Told in flashbacks, next generation, multiple pairings. Sasusaku, naruhina
1. Chapter 1: Like Father Like Daughter

**Chapter 1**  
**Like Father like Daughter**

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**Hello! This is my first story I've written and i hope you enjoy it! It takes place after the war and contains multiple pairings. Thank you for reading and please leave reviews!**

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*rustle rustle*

Hatake Kakashi was strolling down the streets of Konoha one lovely afternoon. He wore his signature dark blue mask and his silvery hair blew in the wind. As he observed the happy villagers and blushing couples walking past him, he looked preoccupied in something, and it wasn't just the book that he was reading.

*rustle rustle*

Somehow he knew this afternoon was not going to be so lovely anymore. He slowly turned at the noise that most people and he wouldn't have been able to hear if not for his ninja ears.

"I can hear you, you know. Come on out you two, Akiko and Inomi."

"I guess my ninja skills need some work.." Uchiha Akiko grumbled.

She blew her jet black bangs out of her face in frustration. Her green eyes twinkled with the same mischief her mother's eyes shown when she was up to no good. She wore a baby blue tank top with the Uchiha sign imprinted on the back with a pair of black leggings.

"Ugh I knew we were being too suspicious." Muttered Nara Inomi.

The Nara had inherited her mother's beautiful blonde hair but instead of growing it out, she kept it mid length. Her eyes were a shade of dark hazel that over analyzed everything around her. She wore a purple cropped tee shirt with a fishnet shirt underneath it to cover her stomach and a black skirt. Unlike her mom, she didn't like to reveal too much skin.

The two girls were always seen together and many villagers knew to beware of the gossiping duo.

Kakashi sighed, "so what do you two want. As you can see I'm busy." He gestured to the 3rd issue of icha icha paradise. He was rereading the series, and he was getting to a good part.

"Ohhhh nothing, Kakashi-san!" Akiko said trying to pull off her sweetest smile. She was never great at making friends with her smirks.

"We just noticed that you have been getting very close to you know whoooo.." Inomi suggested nudging Kakashi with her elbow while winking. "We can keep a secret, don't worry!"

Kakashi knew too well that these two kunoichis loved to talk and talk they did to everyone about everything they heard. He knew he had to be careful with what he says around them.

"Well I should probably get going. The Hokage may need me." Kakashi stated trying to avoid any conversation with the two mischief makers.

"You know my mom can put together a nice bouquet of roses. Her birthday is coming up soon.." Inomi smirked.

"And my mom works with her in the hospital! You can drop by any time you want." Akiko shrugged trying to hide her grin.

_Oh no.._ Kakashi thought, _they figured it out!_

"Please! I beg you!" Kakashi clapped his hands together and went on his knees, "Don't tell anyone about Shizune!"

"Hah! So we were right after all!" Akiko laughed, "you fell for it Kakashi-san!"

Kakashi's face was one of pure defeat and remorse. He sunk back in defeat quietly muttering, "so how much does your mom sell for those roses?"

The Nara just laughed.

* * *

"Here you go Kakashi-san! A dozen red roses for your lover, Shizzzuuuneeee" teased Inomi while handing Kakashi a bouquet of bright red roses.

_These brats are more of a handful than Sakura and Ino.. And they aren't even my students_ Kakashi thought with remorse.

"And don't be surprised if you find us spying on you and Shizune-san's date" Akiko added with her signature grin.

_I have to distract these two before they find out where the date is going to be at!_ Kakashi thought. "Akiko, you remind me very much of your father. He was a very nosy matchmaker." Said Kakashi.

"Seriously? Uncle Sasuke?" muttered Inomi in shock.

"Eh... EHHHHHHH!" Akiko yelled, "otousan? Does he even know what the definition of romance is?"

_Sasuke is going to kill me_ Kakashi thought of his former student with a chuckle.

"Well of course he didn't. In fact he was probably the worst matchmaker out there! But there are no backing out of missions once they are assigned. Back then, the Hokage had ordered everyone to get married and have children to repopulate the village. After all, we did lose the majority of our ninja from the fourth great shinobi war."

"What kind of Hokage would set such a stupid and perverted order like that?" Scoffed Inomi.

Kakashi sweat dropped. "Well if you youngsters forgot, I was the Hokage back then."

"Oh! Haha! Sorry Kakashi-san!" Laughed the Nara nervously.

"So? Tell me about otousan!" Begged Akiko.

"Sasuke? Well he like you was trying to get me together with a kunoichi thinking it was my time to get laid." Kakashi shuddered at the thought, "Unfortunately, he was completely wrong with whom he thought I was interested in.."

* * *

Kakashi, the sixth Hokage was sitting in his office doing his mountains of paperwork. Or at least trying to. In truth, he didn't even start yet. He was conflicted on whether he should reread his icha icha series for the fourth time or take a visit to the hospital. His Hokage hat lay on his desk. He didn't like wearing it much unless he was making a speech to his village.

Kakashi sighed,"No wonder Tsunade was eager to give the title over to me. So much paperwork."

Suddenly there was a poof and a certain black haired ninja appeared with a cat mask on.

"You summoned me?" 19 year old Uchiha Sasuke asked his sensei while taking off his mask.

In order to gain the villages trust, he had to undergo a lot of vigorous training. He was hoping that one day he can be head of the Anbu, but for now he was exhausted and rather grumpy to be summoned during his lunch break.

"Oh, Sasuke! Nice to see you this fine afternoon." Kakashi said with a smile behind his mask.

"What do you want, Kakashi." Sasuke asked wanting to get straight to the point. He knew something was up since he was summoned. Whatever this mission was, it must be kept a secret and is probably very important.

"As hasty as ever I see," Kakashi said with a light chuckle,"okay your mission is simple. Basically get the people of Konoha together so that they can repopulate the Hidden Leaf Village."

While most would be rather flustered from this assignment, the Uchiha remained unaffected by this task and stoic as always. "You've been reading too many of those books." Sasuke stated pointing at the pile of icha icha books Kakashi had lying ontop of his unfinished paperwork.

Kakashi sweat dropped. It was true he hadn't started any of his paperwork due to the fact that his favorite novels lay above it, tempting him.

"This isn't about me. It's for the village. Everything I do is for the well-being of our village. So Sasuke this is an order." Kakashi stated with authority.

"Tch. You know well Kakashi that I of all people am the most unsuitable person for this romance thing." Sasuke answered with a slight blush on his face. "Why don't you ask Sakura or someone else?"

Surprised by the change of color of his cheeks, Kakashi fought off the urge to burst out in laughter from the embarrassed look of the Uchiha. Uchiha Sasuke was ashamed! And of romance! Kakashi made a mental note to remember this moment forever and later tell the Uchiha's children about it.

"Listen Sasuke, we lost a lot of fine shinobi in this war and we need to replace them," Kakashi said in his cool demeanor but deep down inside he was thinking of Obito.

_I did this all for you, Obito. I fulfilled your dream of becoming Hokage like you wanted me to._

"Fine," Sasuke said and with that, the Uchiha left to begin his mission that was full of endless confusion and misunderstandings that add to the unnecessary drama caused by one man with one very confused sense of love.

* * *

"Okay? So who was the first couple otousan matched?"  
Asked Akiko eagerly.

"I don't think it's my place to tell you two about other people's lives. But I can tell you that Sasuke really screwed up my love life." Kakashi said remembering the chaos that Sasuke had started and sighed inwardly. _Thank God Sasuke wasn't a real Cupid_. Kakashi thought gratefully.

"What happened? Was Shizune-san involved?" Inomi asked with anticipation.

"Yes, she was. And a few other ninjas." Kakashi added,

"Like who?" Akiko demanded.

Kakashi laughed,"You two have no idea."

* * *

Mitarashi Anko sat at her favorite café eating a plate of red bean dangos and drinking a cup of hot chai tea.

_This is the life,_ thought Anko with a grin. _Some dango, tea, and peace within the nations. _She laughed and paid for her food, leaving with one more dango to eat.

On her way home, Anko suddenly turned around swiftly and threw her sharp dango stick at a shadow behind her.

The figure dodged it and Anko cursed.

"Who's there! Show yourself!" Anko yelled. She was enjoying her evening and was on her way to meet up with someone. A special someone."Come out now!"

Sasuke slowly approached the woman from the shadows. Looking very ominous to Anko.

"Oh it's the Uchiha brat," scoffed Anko,"you could've used the door you know."

"This is a very classified mission. I can't be seen walking around." Sasuke explained. He takes his missions very seriously and knew he couldn't fail no matter what.

"Well you made quite an entrance that's for sure," Anko muttered. She never took a liking for the young adult and she still viewed him as a child. Even though he received the curse mark from Orochimaru just like her, she didn't understand what was up with the kid. "So get to it, what do you want?"

"I just want to talk," Sasuke said with his stone hard face.

"Huh? Okay what's up, you emo brat." Anko asked.

Sasuke remained uneffected by the comment. He had no idea what emo meant. Did it mean handsome or maybe sexy? Many woman obsessed over him so he was used to this but not from older women. He smirked. "Sorry I'm not interested. Besides I'm here to match you with someone else."

"What are you talking about, Uchiha! You better spit it out. You're really testing my patience and I can take you down right here if I wanted to." Anko threatened with pride.

"Just come with me." Sasuke ordered, he refused to touch people so he gestured for her to follow him.

"I'm not going anywhere till I know where I'm going! And I'm not taking orders from a brat like you!" Anko yelled. She was angry now and was itching to punch the boy in the face.

"Naruto." Sasuke said calmly.

"Got it Sasuke!" Naruto said while putting a bag over Anko's face.

And the last thing Anko saw was the Uchiha's unwavering face but what was that in his eye? Was that a twinkle of mischief? And then there was darkness.

"Teme! We make a good team don't we ni?" Naruto said after he had tied the bag.

"Dobe, just bring the woman with us. We don't want to be caught." Sasuke warned. He didn't want to admit it, but he did think they were a great team.

"Next stop! The Hokage's office!" Shouted Naruto.

"Dobe! What did I tell you about not being caught!" Sasuke whispered covering Naruto's mouth.

* * *

"Well I think it's time for me to take a break." Kakashi sighed to himself and stretched his arms. "Time to take a visit to my favorite medical ninja."

Kakashi smiled to himself and headed out of his office, making sure to lock the door and to bring along his book. On his way to the hospital, he took a detour to avoid the gaze of the villagers. He didn't want them to know about his daily visits to the hospital. However, little did he know that his two students also knew of this detour.

"Dobe, do you have the bag?" Asked Sasuke. He was getting tired of lugging around the snake lady's body.

"Yeah yeah, Sasuke-teme! I've got this one!" Naruto said with a playful grin.  
"Sexy no jutsu!"

"Naruto what do you want." Kakashi asked and began to turn after hearing his former students voice, but that was the end of him. He passed out from his nose bleed.

"Told you Sasuke-temeee." Said Naruko. And he poofed back to himself. "Don't underestimate me!" He said laughing with his contagious sunny smile.

Sasuke smirked and the two hauled the bodies away.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi woke with a start. He had a sharp headache and didn't know where he was.  
Oh yeah, he thought, I passed out after seeing something. What was it?

He was lying on the floor and then he heard noises. Reaching for his kunai in his back pouch, he realized that his bag was gone. He resorted to activating his sharingan. Just then, two ominous figures threw a woman ontop of Kakashi. It appeared that she had just woken up from passing out. When Kakashi got a better look at her, he realized with horror that the woman was none other than Anko Miturashi. Her hands were on his chest and she looked very aggravated. Kakashi blinked. Anko blinked.

"Dobe! You forgot the book!" Sasuke yelled at Naruto.

"Oh yeah the book!" Naruto exclaimed while throwing Kakashi's icha icha book which hit their sensei right in the head. His headache was even more severe than before.  
"Have fun you two! Don't get too crazy!" Naruto laughed with a blush. And with that the two slammed the door.  
Leaving Kakashi and Anko alone with Anko ontop of Kakashi making the two feel very uncomfortable.

"Well, Anko I'm sorry about this situation we are in." Kakashi began nervously,"I swear I didn't plan any of this! So please promise me you won't tell Yama-.." **Bam**  
Anko punched him in the face before he could finish. And with that, Kakashi blacked out for the second time that day.

* * *

"Gomenasai!"  
"Gomen."

Kakashi kept his eyes closed but heard his two former students apologizing. Why were they apologizing? Where was he? All he knew was that he was exhausted.

"Yeah yeah! Get out both of you! You've caused enough damage as there is! Besides you should be apologizing to Kakashi and Anko not me."

_S-Shizune? Why was she here?_ Kakashi thought. _Where am I?_

He shot his eyes opened and attempted to get up but was rewarded with a painful head ache. Just what had happened? He noticed he was in a hospital bed.

"Don't push yourself, Kakashi-kun!" Shizune warned. "You two get out!" The medic yelled at the two young men. This terrified the two and they ran out of the room as fast as they could. Kakashi watched with horrified eyes.

"And you! What were you exactly doing with Anko-san?" Shizune asked. Kakashi looked deep into her eyes and saw hurt and betrayal in them. Something he never wanted her to feel. "And you know that Yamato-san will be very angry if he hears that you did something with her! And all your visits to the hospital! I actually thought you cared about me?" She yelled. By then there were tears forming in her eyes. Being the shinobi she was, she knew she could not cry. She had forced herself to take control of her emotion during the war because emotions will only get in the way.

Kakashi let her vent and remained silent until she was done. "Thank you for healing me." He said.

"Yeah whatever. It's just my job. After all you are the Hokage." Shizune spat. Kakashi had never seen her so angry. He feared that they weren't going to be the same as they were before.

"No," he said slowly, "thank you for healing my heart." Shizune took a quick intake of breath as Kakashi continued,"As you know, everyone dear to me has gone and died. My father, my sensei, Rin, Obito. I thought that I would not be able to love ever again. My heart was slowly closing and refusing to let people in. But then, you came along and helped me find my way. Thank you, Shizune. I don't know what happened before I blacked out, but I can tell you that I would never look at anyone else but you. Because I really care about you." Kakashi said gently with a smile behind his mask. He looked at her like she was the most beautiful person in the world with her scrubs on and her hair tied up.  
Before she knew it, she grabbed hold of Kakashi and hugged him tightly, allowing herself to finally cry.

* * *

"Awwwww how sweet! Kakashi-san!" Inomi sighed dreamily.

"Wow.. Otousan is so dense.." Akiko muttered, "at least it worked out in the end.."

"Yes, but that wasn't even the worst of it," Kakashi said rubbing the back of his head.

"Really? Who are the others that had it worse?" Asked Akiko with curiosity. She really wanted to know all the people that her dad had messed with.

"Like I said before, it's not my place to say. Well it's my time to go so, see ya." And with that Kakashi left in a poof.

"Akiko, who else do you think your dad affected?" Asked Inomi.

"I dunno... But Im gonna figure this ou-..." Akiko was cut off when she saw a gorgeous 19 year old who goes by the name of Hyuga Nori. Nori's father was Neji Hyuga, a man who had died protecting his friend and cousin. All say that he died with the honor of being called a genius and that the war was successful because of him. Nori inherited his father's byakugon, but his skin was tan like his mothers and his hair a chestnut brown. He wore the traditional Hyuuga attire - a flowing white robe along with matching pants. His long, silky brunette hair complemented his skin and clothing nicely, Akiko mentally noted as her cheeks gradually grew warmer.

All the girls in the village adored him and the mothers talked very highly of him. They all said that TenTen should be very proud to have a great son like him, and proud she was.

"Nori! Hi!" Yelled Inomi with a slight blush on her cheeks.

Akiko waved her hand shyly while Nori waved back. However, he left without talking to the two girls.

"Wow he's so hot! Do you know I heard my mom talking about him to my dad? She thinks he would make a fine husband, but my dad said it's too troublesome to think of something like that so soon." Inomi explained and winked at Akiko, "I know that look Akiko. You likeeee him don't you?"

"E-ehh! Shut up! Let's go home. I want to find out more about my ottousan's matchmaking!" Akiko muttered while walking home with her best friend.

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**Thank you again for reading! Be prepared for more chaos in th enext chapter which includes our favorite lazy Nara! R&R please!**


	2. Chapter 2: Shadowing Flowers

**Chapter 2:**  
**Shadowing Flowers**

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**Thank you for the reviews! Please enjoy!**

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Uchiha Sasuke was not in the mood for this. He had gotten home late the evening before because he had been caught up with his paperwork and Anbu duties. He was head of the Anbu now and that meant that he was very busy and often got home at extreme hours of the night. So when his only daughter had been eyeing him suspiciously all morning, he knew something was up, but was too tired and grumpy to say anything about it. An exhausted Uchiha meant a very short tempered man who you did not want to mess with.

Akiko eyed her father with an intense gaze over her toast and eggs. She never really knew of her father's past and it fueled her with a new kind of curiosity. What else was he hiding from her? She could tell he was ignoring her gaze which angered her even more than she was confused. She hated it when people didn't notice her, even if she wasn't the most outgoing person, she still liked to receive some attention.  
She blew at her bangs that were getting rather long now and glared at her dad. Until something or someone broke the silence.

"Helloooo what is up with you two! Oneesan? Otousan?" Yelled a very aggravated Uchiha. Uchiha Kaito also loved to be the center of attention but unlike his sister he made loud statements and didn't mind yelling for the attention he wanted. He waved his hands in front of his sisters eyes, but she still did not waver. He grit his perfectly straight and white teeth together. His skin was very fair and light and his hair a dark brown that was lighter than his father's and sister's. His eyes were a dark shade of onyx and he rolled them whenever he was annoyed despite the danger it brings to him when his mother sees. He was a 15 year old who was still learning to mature. "Why don't you move!" The younger Uchiha yelled while pulling his sister's hair which resulted in a painful punch on his head from the girl. "Ettai!"

"Baka!" Yelled Akiko at her younger brother. She was fueled with anger now. Why did she have to have a dad that never communicates except for the occasional "hn."

"Otousan! Oneesan hit me again!" Complained the teen while pointing at his sister.

Sasuke was about to attempt to stop his children's quarreling until a noise emitted from his and his wife's room which brought him terror.

"What is that yelling? Shannaro!" Yelled a very angry pregnant woman who had just woken from her nap due to the noises of the children. Uchiha Sakura was 2 months due and had quite a large stomach by now. Her usual short pink hair was now mid length and she had bags underneath her eyes. To Akiko, she was pretty much a mess, and she knew the dangers of messing with her right now. She tensed at the thought and straightened her back while folding her hands, trying to portray the perfect child.

Kaito gulped and the two children Uchiha's quickly scarfed down their food and ran out of the house with a frantic "bye" and "see you later!". Leaving Sasuke alone with his aggravated wife. Sasuke sighed,"those kids..."

"Sakura," Sasuke said careful not to anger her anymore. "The kids were well, they were being kids."

"Yeah? Uh-huh." Sakura said while her blood boiled. Her hormones were over the top and she was feeling very nauseous.

"And, I'm sorry they woke you, Sakura." He muttered before kissing her on the head, "I don't understand fully of the hardships of your pregnancy, but I can only imagine the pain." He hated to see Sakura in pain. He already caused her so much sadness, it was hard for him to forgive himself for that. "But most of all, I'm very proud to be the father of this child." He smiled at her, one of the genuine smiles that only few people could see and Sakura welled up with pride knowing that she was one of the few.

Sakura's cheeks were tinted with pink and she kissed him on the lips sweetly.

"I'll go out and get you some rice and a jar of umeboshi." He knew that she was craving it.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun." The pinkette said while Sasuke hugged her goodbye. "But just so you know, the next time I get woken up from my nap, it won't be pretty." She whispered in his ear while clenching her fist.

Sasuke tensed and quickly and gladly exited his home to find his needy wife some food. He valued his life and most definitely wasn't planning on dying young.

* * *

Kaito strolled to his best friends house with his headband in his hand. He and his team were asked to go to the Hokage's office for a mission. As he walked over, he passed the Yamanaka flower shop and gazed inside. He saw his sister and Inomi giggling, probably gossiping about boys or something. He sighed inwardly, but his gaze softened when he saw his teammate, Nara Ren with her twin Nara Rito. Ren and Rito were usually always seen together. They both had dirty blonde hair, however, Ren kept it in a messy pony tail while Rito refused to grow it out and kept it to his ears. Ren had her mother's light blue eyes and her twin had a darker shade of blue. Ren also had her mother's smile while Rito carried a bored expression on his face. The two were identical twins, the age of 15. However, they were both very different.

"Ohayo, Kaito-kun!" Ren smiled while waving her hand and running up to the Uchiha.

"Hey, Kaito." Rito said grinning like his father. He wasn't part of their three man squad, but they spoke to each other quite often, and Rito actually liked the Uchiha.

"Hey, Ren, Rito. Ren, we are receiving a mission today, so we should head over to Taiyo's house." Kaito said looking at Ren. The two said goodbye to Rito and walked toward their teammates house side by side.

Rito watched them leave and shook his head. It didn't take a genius to know that the Uchiha had feelings for his twin. What a pain.

* * *

"Ugh! Otousan is being really annoying right now. I know he is hiding his past from me! He never tells me anything." Akiko said angrily to her best friend. The two were sitting in the Yamanaka flower shop. The two were chuunin, and hadn't received a mission in a while. Akiko often assisted at the hospital in her mother's place.

"Well Uncle Sasuke was never talkative. I remember, whenever your family came over for parties, Auntie Sakura is the one who always talks while your dad just nods his head." Inomi explained, trying to cheer her friend up,"I'm sure he will open up to you eventually, just give him some time." Inomi said with a comforting smile. Akiko smiled back at her friend. She didn't know what she would do without her. "Besides! Nori is even more to himself than Uncle Sasuke! So you better get used to it now!" Inomi teased and giggled while Akiko blushed. She was just about to deny her feelings until someone interrupted her.

"Who is more to himself than Sasuke-kun? I don't think anyone is." Said a voice walking into the store through the back door. It soon revealed itself to be none other than Nara Ino. "Hello, Akiko! So what boys are you two talking about now? I used to always talk about boys at your ages." The blonde said to the two girls while laughing at the good memories of her and Sakura. These girls were just like us, Ino thought while smiling.

"Okaasan! I don't think Akiko would want to talk about it." Inomi said to her mother and looked at Akiko.

"Wait, you know my otousan very well right? Please tell me about his past Auntie Ino!" Begged Akiko to the Nara.

Ino smiled and remembered the times that her teammates were young. "Okay! What would you like to know?"

"I heard he was an awful matchmaker. "Akiko muttered.

Ino burst out laughing and the two girls stared at her in confusion. "So who was the baka that told you two girls about that? Was it Kakashi-sensei? He's always causing some sort of drama." Ino sighed, "Well for starters, your father, Sasuke, was all over me. In fact, I had to push him away all the time, but still he pursued me. He was obsessed with me and I knew it was an honor because all of the girls liked him. But still it was just creepy."

"Ino what lies are you telling the girls now" another voice said. And in came Nara Shikamaru with the same bored expression and hazel eyes as his daughter. He sighed at his wife. How troublesome.

"S-Shikamaru! I thought you were at the Hokage's office!" Ino shouted at her husband in her defense while trying to change the subject.

"Yeah yeah. Whatever. Sasuke was never in love with Ino. In fact, it was the other way around. She loved Sasuke. All day was just "Sasuke" this and "Sasuke" that." Shikamaru muttered with annoyance in his voice as he remembered the memory. "It was so troublesome even being on her team cuz all she did was talk about that Uchiha. I really didn't like that guy. What was so great about him anyway?" Shikamaru grumbles and Ino laughed.

"As you can see, Shika was very jealous." Ino teased and pinched Shikamaru's cheek.

"Let go, troublesome woman." Shikamaru said but he couldn't hide his slight reddening of his cheeks. "So you want to know about your father right? Well I'll tell you the truth. As you know, Ino here majorly twists the truth." Ino pouted but Shikamaru ignored her and continued. "Well Sasuke really was troublesome. I didn't like him as it was, but after what he did, I almost hated him."

"But then you loved him right? Cuz he basically got us together" Ino winked. Shikamaru groaned.

"Ino if you forgot. He wasn't the one that fixed it." Shikamaru said to his wife. "It's a drag telling my own daughter about my past, but I guess I will."

* * *

The pineapple headed ninja was lying in a field watching the clouds. He began to recall the chaos and devastation of the war, but decided against it. The thoughts of war only brought forth sadness, and besides, it took too much energy to think about. He went to this grassy field constantly because of the peace that it brought him. He enjoyed the silence and was about to doze off when.

"Shikamaru! Shikamaru!" Yelled a young energetic kunoichi running toward the lazy genius. Her long blonde ponytail blew in the wind and her light blue eyes sparkled.

"So much for silence and peace." he muttered. She was so energetic, the opposite of himself. Despite that, he'd never admit it, but she brought light into his troublesome existence, and he didn't know what he would do without her.

Ino reached the Nara and lay down next to him in the field, catching her breathe.

Lying down next to Ino wasn't uncomfortable to Shikamaru. He felt at home. He closed his eyes and said, "so what did you want to tell me, Ino?"

The blonde turned on her side and smiled at him through the grass. She was beautiful and delicate, yet strong. She was everything good in life. And he feared that all the Konoha men will soon notice too, and they would soon try to gain her affection. He cringed at the thought of any of them touching her.

She sighed,"The Hokage wants you."

The Hokage? Must be important. Shikamaru thought.  
He reluctantly pushed himself off the ground and landed on his feet.

"I just got here and the first thing you do is leave?" Ino said teasingly. But there was something in her eyes, but he couldn't tell what it was. "I'll see you later! At my house for dinner tonight!"

Shikamaru nodded and the two parted.

* * *

"Hello, Shikamaru. Nice afternoon we are having." Kakashi the sixth Hokage said.

"Yeah, so what do you want?" Shikamaru asked. He regretted leaving Ino's side on the field and wanted to just get this task over with.

"Hasty, just like Sasuke." Kakashi sweat dropped. "Gaara the Kazekage and his siblings are visiting Konoha. Please escort the sand siblings safely around the village."

Sand siblings. So Temari. Shikamaru thought with contempt. "Sure Kakashi-sensei."

"Thanks Shikamaru. Meet them at the entrance. You are to spend the next few days with them." Kakashi explained and with that Shikamaru left to fulfill his mission.

* * *

Gaara of the Sand and his siblings were approaching the Hidden Leaf Village. He wanted to talk to Naruto about something that has been bothering him, but being the Kazekage, he had to be escorted almost everywhere. His siblings never left him out of their sight ever since the incident with Deidara from the Akatsuki. And neither did a certain someone.

"Gaara-sama! Make sure you don't over exert yourself!" A concerned brown haired kunoichi said running next to him. Matsuri was a former fangirl like many of the other girls of the Sand village, but she outgrew her childish crush and abandoned her old ways. Her feelings had now become something much more stronger. Although many of the fangirls volunteered to escort Gaara, she was chosen to go with him because she was a former student of his. She blushed when she looked at him. Gaara with his teal eyes and bright crimson hair. He was the Kazekage now, but she acknowledged him before that.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." Gaara said as he jumped to the next tree branch with Matsuri. He knew that she used to be infatuated with him, but she has become more mature now, and their friendship had grown quickly. "We are approaching the gates."

"Got it." Kankuro said and ran ahead to make sure it was safe. He wore his signature purple paint on his cheeks and nose.

"Gaara, when we get there, there's no guarantee that you will talk to Naruto right away, is that okay?" Temari asked with concern. She looked at him with her green eyes, her dusty blonde hair flying in the wind.

Gaara looked at her and nodded. He understood that Naruto was now a village hero and he was quite popular among the people. He would make a fine Hokage some day. "I understand that, but still I want to try. Besides, we're here."

The four entered into the gates of Konoha side by side and a pineapple haired figure approached them at the gates.

"Hey, long time no see." Shikamaru welcomed the four shinobi through the gates. "I'm guessing you want to see Naruto, Gaara. Sorry to say, but he's a bit busy right now. So I'll lead you guys to an inn to rest from your journey."

"Thanks, crybaby" Temari said with a playful grin. Shikamaru smirked and led them to their resting place.

* * *

"So what is Naruto really up to right now?" Temari asked as her and Shikamaru walked through the marketplace of Konoha. Gaara and Matsuri remained at the inn while Kankuro looked for a take-out place for dinner. Leaving Temari and Shikamaru with nothing to do but walk around.

"To tell you the truth, the guy doesn't want to face Gaara until he becomes Hokage." Shikamaru confessed with a far off look on his face.

Temari thought about the golden haired kid who became a hero. "He never did fulfill his dream did he." She said with a bit of pity in her face.

Shikamaru noticed and clenched his fist. Naruto was not to be pitied."Don't pity him. He's stronger than that. You will only upset other people and Naruto himself."

"I see." Temari admitted and changed the subject. "Well anyway, this is nostalgic huh? I remember the last time you escorted me here."

"Yeah that's right. You became a chuunin." Shikamaru said and the two walked down the lane. Unknowing of a shadow in the alley watching their every move.

* * *

"Teme! I'm not lying! Gaara's sister is on a date with Shikamaru again!" Uzumaki Naruto said to the Uchiha. He was assisting Sasuke on his mission of matchmaking.

"That lazy.." _He got a girlfriend before I did_. Sasuke thought.  
"Okay, dobe lets do this."

With that, the dynamic duo tracked down the whereabouts of Shikamaru and Temari.

* * *

On the way Sasuke spotted something very interesting. "Oi, dobe. Look here."

The two peered into the Yamanaka flower shop, and there was Sai holding up a bouquet of roses for Ino herself!

"Sasuke-teme! Good eye!"  
Naruto said beaming with a mischievous grin.

"Here you go Sai! A dozen roses! Whose it for?" Ino asked with a smile. Her feelings for Sai had faded when she discovered that his nickname for her wasn't exactly a compliment.

"Oh, well they are for my brother." Sai explained remembering his fight with Shin and his release after looking at Sai's finished page.

"Aww Sai! Well give him my blessings!" She said with a compassionate smile and Sai smiled genuinely back.

"D'awww look at the happy couple!" Naruto whispered dreamily to Sasuke.

"Dobe.. Just shut up." Sasuke said trying to hide his reaction to the heartwarming moment. His chest felt funny. What was this feeling? "Okay you ready?"

"Ready when you are Sasuke!" Naruto said putting up his hands to complete his signature jutsu.

* * *

"Hey! Don't touch me!" Ino yelled.  
*Punch*  
"ETTAI! Ino-chan! We're only trying to help!" Naruto said while rubbing his wounded head.

"What was that?" Temari asked while turning. Shikamaru also turned and what he saw shocked him.  
"What the..." Shikamaru muttered.

Naruto was using shadow clones to push two shinobi together. When Shikamaru got a better look, he did a double take. It was Sai.. And INO?

"Cmon! Stop struggling! Just let it happen!" Naruto yelled loud enough for the people surrounding them to hear giving him weird looks. Even though he was the village hero, he still was an idiot.

And then it happened. Too soon for Shikamaru to process. He remained where he was shocked.

"Shikamaru?" Temari asked with concern.

But he wasnt listening and he ran away, forgetting the mission, and also forgetting Temari. Anywhere. He would go anywhere but where he was right now.

"Shikamaru!"

Was the Ino? No it was Temari. Who cares. I've got to get out of here. He thought and was soon out of sight from the five shinobi.

* * *

Ino screamed. Despite her appearance and what other people thought, she wasn't outgoing when it came to romance. She never kissed a boy before because she wanted to save it for the one she loved. So when she awakened from her shock and realized she was kissing Sai, she pushed him away from her lips and slapped him on the face without thinking.

"Naruto." Ino said quietly but with enough power in her voice to scare even Orochimaru. "Please get the heck out of here before I do something we both will regret."

That was enough for Naruto. He left as fast as he could.

"Ino." Sai began. "I'm. I'm so sorry." He knew that she was in pain, but why?

Tears began to fall from Ino's face. "No... Don't apologize. I'm sorry I hit you. But I just. Need some space." And with that she ran away from him, leaving a trail of tears behind her.

* * *

Ino didn't know where to go, but the field that didn't inhabit anyone, but her childhood friend. She ran into the fields wiping her tears off her face. She's a kunoichi darn it she didn't cry. Especially not from a stupid kiss.

Shikamaru looked at the woman approaching him. Old comfortable feelings of their childhood soon welled up inside him. But then he remembered what had happened and looked away with a hard look on his face crushing those feelings with his own foot.

"Shikamaru, I..."

"Just stop. And don't come near me anymore. You don't understand me at all, and you never will."

He got up and left without looking back. Leaving a very shocked and confused Ino on her own. She fell onto her knees and hugged herself in an attempt to stop the agonizing pain in her chest. She knew how to heal just about any injury, but this one she could not heal no matter how hard she tried.

* * *

"So.. Okaasan got her heart broken by otousan?" Asked Inomi.

"Shhhhhhhhh! Your father is telling a story! Listen up!" Ino said bossily while Inomi glared at her mother.

"How troublesome.." Shikamaru grumbled hiding his smirk.

* * *

*knock knock*  
"Ino! The Naras and Akimichis will be over at our house soon." Ino's mother informed her. When Ino arrived home, she headed straight to her room and locked herself in there for the rest of the afternoon. "Hey? Are you even listening? Ino!"

The blonde sat by the window and gazed at the few stars that were out at this time. The sun was setting and her teammates were going to arrive soon. Why was he so upset? Did he see the kiss? Hadn't he known it was a mistake? Couldn't he read her expression? Did he even know her? Too many thoughts ran through her mind and it made her sick.

* * *

"Yo. Crybaby." Shikamaru had returned to the inn where Temari was pretending that nothing had happened. "What happened to you?"

He wasn't in the mood to answer her. So he remained silent.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Still no answer.

Temari sighed. "I see now how you feel."

Silence.

She grit her teeth. "Listen kid, love isn't easy. Your affection doesn't always get requited!"

"I know that. If you didn't know already, I'm supposed to be a genius." Shikamaru finally replied.

Temari scoffed, "okay I guess you don't need advice, so I'll just leave." And with that she began to walk away.

"But yet." Shikamaru clenched his fists which stopped the sand ninja in her tracks. "Yet, I don't know why it hurt so much, and don't even understand myself."

Temari's face was shocked, but she soon grinned and had to restrain herself from laughing. "So that's what this is about! That blondie! Well as you can see!" She stuck out her left hand in front of his face."I'm engaged." She bragged showing off her diamond band, her green eyes twinkling with pride. "So I know a few things about this thing called love."

* * *

"Welcome!" Ino's mother said as she gestured for Choji's mom and Shikamaru's mom to enter her household.

"Um.. Mrs. Yamanaka? Where is Ino?" Choji asked with concern on his face. He thought of Ino as a sister and worried for her many times.

"Oh.. She's in her room.. You can try to get her out. I don't know what happened." Ino's mother said. "Where's Shikamaru?"

"I don't know! That boy is always somewhere! And he never tells me!" Shikamaru's mother stated angrily.

* * *

Shikamaru sneezed.

"Hey! Cover your nose!" Temari muttered. "I'm explaining something here."

"My bad," Shikamaru muttered while rubbing his nose.

"I can see it just by looking at you. You really like that blonde chick don't you?" Temari smirked when she saw Shikamaru's bored face redden. "Yeah well by the looks of it, you're pretty jealous of that pale dude too. But the thing is, you don't even know the full story and instead you ran away like a crybaby." She teased while Shikamaru's eyes widened.  
"Here's what really went down." Temari began.

* * *

"Ino! Hey? Ino! It's me Choji!" Choji yelled whole banging on her door.  
No answer.

Choji had given up by now. He already wasted a good 15 minutes trying to get her out. He sat down and leaned against her door in defeat. When suddenly he heard foot steps coming up the stairs.

"S-Shikamaru? Where have you been?" Choji asked with a confused face.

"No where important." He muttered and knocked on the door. "Oi, Ino. We need to talk."

Silence.

"Ino! I said we need to talk!" Shikamaru raised his voice.

"And why should I talk to someone like you?" Ino yelled back, new tears forming in her eyes as she remembered what had happened earlier.

"Darn it, Ino! If you don't let me in I'll force my way in!" Shikamaru warned.

"Fine. Do it. No one's stopping you." She responded with bitterness in her voice. But to her surprise and slight dismay, there was no reply. "I guess he left." She muttered to herself as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Like I would leave you, troublesome woman." Said a voice by her window. Her eyes widened. Shikamaru sat on her windowsill with the same bored expression on his face, but she saw something in his eyes. Was that.. Concern? "I'm here to explain."

"Why do I need to listen to your explanation? You didn't listen to mine when I tried to clear things up! I should just do the same to you!" Ino spat with anger and hurt inside of her. She turned her back on him, refusing to look him in the eye.

Shikamaru looked down with guilt, and thought of his talk with Temari.

_"If you love her, then you wouldn't let her feel pain. Especially pain that you have caused. Stop being a baby and confront her. Stop holding things in all the time, you are only damaging your relationship with others when you do that. Now that you know that Ino kissed Sai by accident, you better tell her how you feel before she kisses someone else intentionally." Temari warned with a look in her deep green eyes._

"Ino, you don't have to listen, but if you care at all about our friendship then you should." Shikamaru began. "I'm sorry about what I said. I wasn't thinking. I was being irrational and misunderstood the kiss and everything. And worst of all, I hurt someone who I never wanted to hurt." Ino's eyes widened and he continued,"Ino, because of you, I can say I've made it. It's because of you that I'm not in despair over our fathers' deaths." Shikamaru said it like it was poison on his tongue. He still wasn't over his father's death. That was a wound that would take a long time to heal. "So thank you, for all that you've done for me.. and for us."

Ino turned around slowly and said with tears in her eyes,"It was my privilege to do that all for you, idiot." She rubbed her eyes quickly, she was not one to cry and Shikamaru was shocked to see the tears falling because of him."Don't give me that look, baka." She laughed,"I'm happy, these tears are tears of happiness." She smiled and it was like a beautiful flower blooming for the first time.

Shikamaru gazed at her lovingly. "I.. I love you, Ino. And I never want to see you hurt again."

"I love you too, Shikamaru." She smiled and added,"by the way, you know that kiss with Sai?" She asked

"Yeah what about it." Shikamaru asked not wanting her to ruin their moment.

"It didn't count as my first kiss that I've been saving. So would you.." But she never finished because Shikamaru was already kissing her. And she realized that he was the one that she was saving her first kiss for all along.

* * *

"Who knew otousan could be romantic." Muttered Inomi.

"I think that's adorable!" Akiko exclaimed with a smile on her face,"I feel bad that dad messed it up so much."

"Oh don't worry! If he didn't do that, who knew how much longer it would have taken for Shika to confess to me." Ino said while winking.

Shikamaru sighed,"yeah that is partially true. I hate to admit it, but I owe one to your father." He said smiling at his wife. "Oh right, where is your older brother?"

"I dunno. Probs with Nori." Inomi suggested while elbowing Akiko. "Well we better get going! See ya, otousan and okaasan!"

Akiko didn't like the look that her friend was giving her.  
"Thank you for the story!" Akiko said before she was dragged completely away by Inomi.

* * *

Kaito and Ren had made it to the Uzumaki household to pick up their teammate and go to the Hokage's office. The two were now knocking on the front door.

"Oh, hello, Kaito-kun, Ren-chan." The long haired beauty known as Uzumaki Hinata greeted when she opened the door. "You must be looking for Taiyo-kun? I'll get him right away, please wait a little bit." She smiled and left the two alone. No wonder all the men in Konoha watched her as she passed. She was absolutely stunning. Good thing she's married to the Naruto.. Kaito thought.

"Wait, isn't that our sisters over there?" Ren asked pointing at two figures walking quietly through the street. "I wonder what they are up to."

* * *

"Hey! Inomi! Let go!" Akiko yelled as her friend dragged her through the streets. "Where are we going?!"

"Who else would we go to? Nori's house of course!" Inomi stated like it was the most ordinary thing to do in their free time."We won't bother him! Just observing!"

"This is a bad idea, I know it is." Muttered the Uchiha.

"Wait, shut up!" Inomi yelled and yanked Akiko and her into the nearest alleyway. Some sort of argument was going on inside of Nori's house. She inherited her nosy personality from her mother and just itched to know what was going on inside. "Listen." She placed her ear against the wall, but the arguing had already ended.

"Let's just go. I don't want to be caught here, they might suspect something weird." Akiko said to her best friend.

"Wait." Inomi said once more.

Just then, Nori stalked out of the house and slammed the door on his way out, his long brown hair blowing as he went. He stomped away looking furious. It concerned Akiko to see the usual cool and collected Hyuga angry. And without thinking she ran out of her hiding place and toward Nori.

"Nori! What's wrong?" Akiko asked with worried green eyes. When she looked at his eyes, she could see pure rage and hatred. It actually scared her, but she held her ground and stayed put, waiting for his reply.

Nori looked at the kunoichi for a few moments, but turned away. Finally, he turned around with a smile saying, "I'm fine, don't worry." And with that he walked away, leaving Akiko standing in the street alone.

That smile.. Akiko thought.. Is fake.

* * *

"Akiko! What happened?" Inomi asked her friend with a worried tone. She watched the scene play out, but couldn't make out what they had said.

"It was nothing," Akiko lied. She didn't want Inomi to freak out and go after Nori. She thought he needed some time alone. "But I want to talk to TenTen-san." Akiko said with determination.

"Are you sure?" Inomi asked. Confused by her friends change of heart.

"Yes." Akiko said and knocked on the doors of the weapon mistress's house, waiting for a reply. Unaware of the person watching them.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3: Birds

**Chapter 3: Birds**

* * *

**Hello everyone! Thank you for reading! And please tell me what you think of the story in the reviews! It's greatly appreciated! Enjoy!**

**I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

"Oi, it's you two." Uzumaki Taiyo glared at his teammates, Uchiha Kaito and Nara Ren. He had bright blue eyes and dark blue hair. His skin was tan, and his hair unruly like his father's. "You're the ones who woke me up from my sleep." He muttered grumpily with a hint of playfulness.

"Sleeping at this time of day? Baka! It's 2 in the afternoon!" Kaito shouted at Taiyo while the two began to glare at one another.

They continued to have a stare down. Until Kaito snickered and burst out laughing which soon followed by Taiyo's laughter.

"Looks like I won this time!" Taiyo laughed to his best friend. "sup, Ren-chan!" He smiled at Ren with a sunny grin.

Despite their ridiculous actions, she laughed and observed her team. She loved them both and couldn't have asked for anything better. "Okay you two lets head over and get Konohamaru-sensei!" Her bossiness began to show when she was with her team. She smiled at her two teammates and the three left in the direction of the Sarutobi's house.

However, when the three arrived, their sensei was no where to be found.

"I wonder where he went.." Taiyo muttered while scratching her head.

Ren closed her eyes and sighed,"I know exactly where he went. You two, follow me."

Kaito smirked at his intelligent teammate and followed.

* * *

Sarutobi Konohamaru was up in a tree. To be more specific, he was up in a large shaded tree, spying right above the Hyuga compound. He would never admit it, but watching his favorite Hyuga train was something he did too often. He was now a young man, the age of 23, wearing his blue scarf around his neck. He had his green chuunin vest on and his forehead protector tied around his forehead.

Looking down at the pale eyed, brown haired kunoichi who was performing her 64 palms, he sighed. When was he actually going to talk to her anyway..

A noise alerted him from his self-pity. _Oh no_.. He thought. And looked down with horror on his face. His three students were watching him from below grinning too innocently. He squinted his eyes suspiciously.

Taiyo opened his mouth to call out to his sensei when a hand covered his mouth before he could say anything.

"Don't.. Make.. A.. Sound.." Konohamaru hissed at his student, sweating bullets. He moved as quickly as he could to stop his student. Swiftly, he grabbed his kids and retreated to the training field away from the Hyuga compound.

"What the heck, Konohamaru-sensei!" Taiyo complained with a glare,"Just say it already!"

Konohamaru gave a look at his "big brother's" son. "What are you even talking about, Taiyo?"

"He's talking about those goo goo eyes you keep making at Hanabi-san." Ren sighed. Wow this romance thing was really boring her.

"Hanabi-san is my auntie so I can hook you two up!" Taiyo said with a thumbs up and smile while Ren couldn't help but laugh. Her laugh had a beautiful ring to it Kaito noted.

"Just be honest that's the best you could do." Kaito muttered despite himself. After all, he keeps denying his own feelings.

"Alright alright! Maybe another time. Why did you guys get me anyway?" Konohamaru asked the three chuunin.

"We have a mission so let's go to the Hokage's office!" Taiyo shouted with determination in his eyes.

"Okay Team 7! Let's go!" Konohamaru yelled and with that, the four left.

* * *

Tenten-san.. Akiko thought with concern. Whatever happened with Nori wasn't good and asking about it may cause hurt to Nori's mother. She gulped and knocked.

After a few more moments, the door slowly creaked open revealing the young woman with her hair in two brown buns. She tried to smile at Akiko and Inomi while greeting them with a quiet "Hello girls." But Akiko saw through the smile. She saw the sadness and brokenness inside her. It reminded Akiko of Nori's.

"Um.. Hi Tenten-san. Akiko wanted to talk to you.." Inomi said looking at her friend who seemed dazed. "Hey.. Akiko?"

The Uchiha snapped out of her daydream with a "Gomen." She looked at Tenten in the eyes, and noticed the puffiness and redness. Tenten was suffering greatly from something that had traumatized her. Akiko politely explained,"I don't mean to be nosy. But I just wanted to check up on you." She thought mentioning Nori right now wasn't a good idea, thinking that saying it would trigger awkward or even nervous feelings from his mother.

"Check on me? Oh that's very sweet of you, but I don't need anything." Tenten genuinely expressed her independence to everyone around her, but right now, it seemed like she needed someone to hold her steady. It looked as if she could fall over at any moment. "Hinata visits me and helps around the house and so does Lee. I would just be a nuisance if you were to help out also." She tried to laugh, but it came out nervous and jittery, like she was trying to keep together.

"Please, I don't mind. If anything, tell me what is going on." Akiko pleaded gently as not to seem desperate. She now knew something terrible was happening in this house and cursed herself for being so foolish as to think Nori was a perfect person without any troubles.

"Very well, you can come in." Tenten gave up quickly and opened up her door wider for the two girls to come in. She was too tired to hold her ground against the young kunoichi.

Inomi calculated the surroundings and the look in Tenten's eyes. She wasn't good with words and she knew that she couldn't help the woman. If she stayed and tried she would only make Tenten's pain worse. The Nara stated,"Thank you for offering, but I remembered that I had to take care of the flower shop tonight for my mother." She waved goodbye to the two and left.

After waving goodbye, Akiko entered Tenten's dwelling. It was dim from a lantern that was knocked over, probably from the fight between Tenten and Nori. The tables were moved and one of the chairs had flipped over, the other far from the table as if it were pushed. There was a large dent in the wall and papers were scattered on the ground. She eyed them and noticed that it looked old and one of the pages was torn. As the events of the argument unfolded in front of her, Akiko was horrified that a boy and his mother could have done this damage.

Tenten lifted the seat that had fallen and offered Akiko the seat while she sat down on the chair that was far from the table. Akiko sat down slowly she was almost terrified of what she was trying to discover.

"I see that you are scared." Tenten began,"it's almost embarrassing to have you witness this, but arguments like these do not happen often between me and my son."

Akiko noticed that Tenten was gripping the papers that had fallen and had delicately placed the torn one on the table. She continued,"Nori.. He was never the understanding type. Well not with matters concerning his father." She had a far off look on her face, something that Akiko couldn't grasp. "N-Neji..." She said his name robotically. "..As you know, is Nori's father. He never got to talk to his son. I fought in the war during my earliest trimester of my pregnancy, refusing to let my friends fight without me. But when I saw Neji.. Pass.. I felt my nausea kick in and I had to withdraw from the battle." It looked painful to watch her say it. "However, Neji never left anywhere without making a statement or smart remark that you would always remember." She said almost grinning at the thought. "So he left his words for me in a letter. And one for his beloved son." She held up the paper in her hands. "I read his letter every night before I slept and cried all over again. Nori would see me cry and become outraged. He's a kind kid. However, he couldn't take out his anger on anyone, but his own father. Nori hates him, and refuses to speak about him or even touch the letter. So I guess this time, when he saw me crying again, he had had enough. As you can see, he tried to tear the letters in an attempt for me to get over Neji's passing. But I clung to these papers like it was my life. Call me obsessive or weak, I don't care. All I know is that I will never get over him or forget him. I will always keep Neji close to me inside my heart." She clenched her hand over her heart that ached with pain. "I promised myself I would never leave his side. I promised myself I would make sure he was with me forever. I promised myself that I would never let anyone harm him. But.." She looked away, but couldn't stop the tears that were falling unendingly. She was unable to speak of his death and continued. "he was my home." Her eyebrows knit together. "My partner." Her eyes looked dead. "My friend." She bit her bottom lip till blood emerged. "My life." She unclenched her fists that lay limp beside her. "My only love in this life." She muttered quietly then bending over and sobbing. Tenten, the woman that wasn't fazed by anything, the tomboy who never let anyone get to her, was falling apart in front of Akiko. The younger girl realized that she could never understand Tenten. None of her loved ones have ever died before. She didn't know what to do. This strong woman was crying her eyes out, and all Akiko could do was watch her unknowing of how to comfort her.

Akiko patted Nori's mother on the back and said,"I'm so sorry. I could not grasp the understanding of your pain. But I know that you are a strong woman. And that Neji knew at his last moments that he entrusted his son with the strongest person he knew." Tenten slowly looked up into Akiko's eyes. There was only a speck of hope in her eyes, but that was enough for the Uchiha. "May I see the letter?"

Tenten nodded and gave her the old papers and read it:

_Dear Tenten,_

_If you have received this letter, then it means that I have died in war, and Hinata-sama had given if to you. Don't worry, Tenten, I know that you are a strong woman, and you can handle anything. However, I really do wish that we had more time together. There's so many things I would like to experience with you. Unfortunately, we are shinobi, and this is our lifestyle. You're probably rolling those beautiful hazel eyes of yours by now. I've always loved your outgoing personality, it brought life to my boring one._

_I remember our night like it was just yesterday. You are the most beautiful person in the world, inside and out. Our child should be born not too long after the war. It depresses me that I could not even see our child, but I bet he has your perfect smile and tan skin, and I hope that he has the byakugan to continue the bloodline. You will make a wonderful mother, Tenten. I have no doubts in your abilities. When he doesn't listen to you, scold him. When he obeys your orders, praise him. And be the best mother you can be to replace his father's absence. I hope that my death was not in vain, and I hope that you will be happy again. Find love again. And remember that I am always with you. You may not see me or hear me, but my presence will guide you on the road ahead of you. You will never be alone. I will wait patiently for you to return to me, and Tenten... I love you with all my heart. Thank you for being there for me even in my darkness. _

_Your truly,_

_Neji_

Small tears fell into Akiko's lap without her even noticing. She didn't know Neji-san personally, but his words were full of hope and trust and love towards his Tenten. "Neji..." Tenten immediately looked up when she heard his name and Akiko continued,"he was a kind man, and he really did love you and always will." Tenten's hazel eyes that Neji once loved widened as Akiko spoke."I believe that Neji's death was valiant and brave. Protecting the main branch to the end, and shielding his friends from the grasp of death. His death shouldn't bring you pain, it should fill you up with pride. He was a true shinobi and a true hero."

Tenten sat up, unable to speak as the endless tears slowly diminished to drops. She looked at Sasuke's daughter with a new found appreciation. Slowly, Tenten got up from her chair and hugged the young girl while choking out "thank you"s between breathes.

Akiko smiled and hugged her back tightly and said,"I think it's time to show your son the letter. He needs to know the truth." Akiko pulled and seriously added,"Your son is in pain." Tenten stared in shock and listened intently."While you mourned your lover's death, you neglected your son. He was not given the sufficient amount of love he deserved. The love that Neji would want his son to receive."

Tenten looked horrified and immediately filled with guilt. She had failed Neji. She slapped her head and muttered,"How could I not see? How could I be so blind and leave my son alone? I am a failure of a mother." Tenten spat angry at herself.

But Akiko shook her head."No, you failed, but you aren't a failure. Your son loves you despite everything. Your lover loves you too. You are full of both of their love. It's not too late to give back to your son."

Tenten smiled with hope. So she wasn't a failure. She looked determined now to talk to her son about the whole thing.

Akiko grinned and asked,"would you like to go get something to eat with me Tenten-san?"

Tenten looked down with guilt and confessed,"I don't leave the house much anymore. I don't see the point except to keep my son healthy." She looked ashamed. But Akiko grabbed her hand and pulled her to the front door. "Tenten-san, Neji wants you to be full of life, and he wants you to see the wonders of the world around you. He doesn't want you to remain indoors forever." And the two exited the house hand in hand.

Tenten squinted her eyes and gazed at the city of Konoha. She hadn't left her house in almost a year. Hinata and Lee had always urged her to leave but she never budged. Thankfully, they brought her and Nori food and other essentials. As she looked up at the sky, she saw the bright blaze of the sun and a smile crept on her lips. She furrowed her brows and cried tears of joy. _Neji_, she thought._ I feel as free as the bird that you had become... Wait for me._

* * *

Hyuga Nori lay on a tree that shaded him from the sun. He closed his eyes and let out a breathe he didn't know he was holding and felt the guilt of the events that had occurred earlier and his mother's tears. But when his thoughts moved to his father, he cursed and punched the tree causing leaves to fall down.

"Yo, Nori. I thought you'd be here." Said a voice. It was Nara Shikaru with his spiky brown hair and blue eyes. He wore fishnets and shorts that were a dark green color. Unlike Nori, he wasn't as popular with the girls. He wasn't pleased with that, but there wasn't much he could do, and besides there was only one girl he wanted the attention from. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing." Nori muttered to his best friend. He didn't feel like talking.

"Yeah, right." Shikaru sighed. Unfortunately for him, he inherited his mother's short temper. "You better tell me, Nori." He warned.

Knowing that testing his friend's patience wasn't a good idea, Nori explained the fight to his friend in full detail adding his anger toward his father and his anxieties of his mother's health.

Shikaru listened carefully and said,"I don't know much about this sort of matter. My okaasan and otousan are always arguing and saying sarcastic remarks to one another." He rubbed his temples, "But in the end, otousan always lets okaasan win." He smirked.

"So what? What does this have to do with me?" Nori asked getting frustrated. He always showed his ugly side to his best friend. He never knew how they were still so close after all the nasty things he's said to the shadow lover.

"I'm just saying, that even though husbands don't seem like they really care, they do.." Shikaru shrugged. While Nori gave him a strange look, he began to laugh,"unfortunately, I wasn't blessed with my father's IQ level."

Nori smirked. "Thanks anyway for the help, genius." He mocked his friend and jumped down from the tree, landing next to the Nara.

"Oh please, you're making me blush." Shikaru teased sarcastically and asked, "Okay I'm no genius we got that straight. But sometimes I have good ideas, right?"

"If I say yes, will you do something I will regret?" Nori asked cautiously.

"Not really, just trying to help my best friend that's all." Shikaru said while patting his friend on the shoulder.

Now Nori was very confused and said with annoyance."No you can't mess around with my cousin." He guessed that's what this was about.

"H-huh? Baka! I'm trying to help you!" Shikaru yelled angrily while his cheeks reddened. Nori snickered. "Okay maybe I do have a thing for Hikari. But this isn't about her! I have a good idea for once! Just follow me!"

And with that the two boys left, Shikaru leading the way.

An Uchiha with jet black hair peered at the two boys walking away from a tree. _So this is the boy that my daughter has fallen for. _Sasuke thought._ I think it's time for me to perform my matchmaking_ powers _once again_.

* * *

**Thank you! R&R**


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